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Benedict V Harquess
Benedict V Harquess was the thirty-first monarch of Dorio. He was known for his interest in academics and in scientific development, especially in the field of steam power. Early life Benedict Harquess was born to Garrett Harquess and Anita Osbrin in 517 DR; when he was three years old, his father was appointed the heir to the Dorian throne, and so Garrett began educating Benedict in administration. However, Benedict was never deeply interested in rulership, and preferred to follow scientific developments. In his adolescence, Benedict enrolled in a medical school, and in 538 he became certified to practice as a doctor. He began working as a court physician under King Albus V, but he soon learned about the steam engines being developed in Amitrea and became intrigued by the design. Benedict attempted to have an Ovsem engine sent to him in 542, but was unable to maintain the device. Attempts to replicate it were similarly unsuccessful, so in 546 Benedict traveled to Stadleck and began a two-year exploration of steam engines throughout the region. At Albus V's Crown of the Ages festival in 550, Benedict displayed a small steam engine that could transport water from one cup into another. During the 554 rebellion of Anders Gerrispond, Benedict served as a medic. Reign Benedict acceded the throne in 559 DR. Although cautious about governance, Benedict was strongly in support of Dorian scientific advancement, and his first significant bill tasked Dorio's top artisans with the production of an Alarean-made steam engine. Progress was slow at first, with simple reproductions of the Ovsem engine being built, but in 565 the laborer Virgil Eusen proposed a design for a modified engine design. The Eusen engine, completed in 567, became rapidly popular; Benedict quickly entered into talks with foreign leaders, arranging for the proliferation of Eusen engines within the Golden Quintet and for the marketing of their blueprints to outside nations. Benedict sought to make Dorio a major player in the steam engine trade, but it was already distributed widely enough that he could not establish a significant hold on the market. Advocates of a parliament convinced Benedict to look into developing such a structure; he studied the models of other nations, and completed a draft for a Daravian-style model in 578. However, much of the aristocracy was reticent to cede their power, and so Benedict started a tour of Dorio to persuade them of the parliament's merits. He released a revised model for the parliament in 581, which met with more approval; however, the arrangement of a voting system proved contentious, and Benedict— whose health was deteriorating— became less able to focus on government. Benedict died of kidney disease in 585, after a lengthy illness. Personal life Benedict married Andrea Desman in 538 DR, shortly after being certified as a doctor. They went on to have four children. Benedict's relationship with Andrea was strained after his Amitrean tour, due to his long absence, but it was repaired as Benedict returned to Dorio. Benedict was a fairly remote father, preferring to involve himself with his fellow intellectuals. Category:Monarchs Category:Harquess Family Category:Dorians